Prayer
Plastic Free July Prayer
Dear God,
Thank You for our oceans, rivers and land. We thank You for the beauty of the earth and all its natural wonders. Give us strength to help us to strive for a cleaner, more sustainable and healthier world.
Help us to use less single-use plastic, practice sustainable habits and restore the earth which we have misused.
Fill us with the love for the nature around us and gratitude for what we are so lucky to have. Amen.
Darcy, Year 7
Through Iona Presentation College
Knowledge
July’s editions of YLBG will be focused on Plastic Free July. I hope you will join us by examining your plastic use and make a difference with your actions.
Fifteen years ago, at a former place of employment, I was heating my lunch up in office microwave. It was leftovers in a plastic bowl. One of my colleagues, a retired chemist who was doing ministry work in her retirement, said to me, “You know, that’s not really advisable. Microwaving plastic leaches chemicals into your food.” I laughed a little, nodded my head and thought to myself, “OK, weirdo. Thanks for the input.”
As it turns out, I should have listened! The science on the health effects of plastic is scary. The problem isn’t the plastic molecule itself, but the toxic chemicals they stuff between those molecules. Anything that scratches the surface, like in a dishwasher or utensil, can break the chemical bonds that hold the plastic chains together. When plastic breaks down into pieces, sheds off our fleece fabrics, flies off our tires every time we drive, or is burned through “chemical recycling”, all those toxic chemicals are released to the environment. We eat them, drink them, and breath them. They are affecting our children! If you want the science, go to this Beyond Plastics page and look under the “Reports and Studies” column. Or, you can watch a webinar about this topic here.
Plastic Free July is meant to get us to think about how plastic affects us. The health effects are only now coming to light. If you are courageous, look into this yourself!
Action
So many options!
Personal:
How did you do in week 2 of the Plastic Free July Challenge? What can you change for week 3?
Professional:
How can you reduce or eliminate plastic where you work? How do you pack your lunch? Maybe eliminate zipper bags and cling wrap? Use containers and beeswax wraps.
In the world:
Our personal choices are important. But, large scale change will come when corporations and politicians are on board. Eliminating plastic bags is one easy thing we can do immediately. Advocating for a plastic bag ban in your state is a great cause!
Our own Plastics Taskforce is working on actions and solutions. Email us at [email protected]